Motivation

Oceans cover 71% of the Earth's surface, and for most of the 20th Century seismologists depended on scarce and unevenly distributed ocean islands for instrumental coverage outside the continents, leading to an unbalanced global distribution of stations. A significant portion of seismogenic sources contributing to seismic hazard in Europe are under water, and their characterisation and monitoring are hampered by the lack of nearby seismic stations.

Over the last decade, the technological developments in ocean bottom broadband seismometry provided a new opportunity towards a more complete monitoring of the planet's surface, but also new challenges. Coupling the seismometer to the seafloor, supplying power or timing to equipment or retrieving the data in near real time are examples of those challenges. Despite this, seafloor deployments - both temporary and permanent - are rapidly increasing, not in the least in the European-Mediterranean region. Coordinating and integrating deployments and observations at the seafloor and on land is currently another challenge specifically relevant for the European-Meditearranean area.

The workshop aims at discussing challenges involved in integrating and coordinating seismological observations at the seafloor and on land, addressing both the technological, organisational and interpretational aspects. Specifically, the workshop will promote common strategies to deploy seismological instrumentation and to organise its data management and interpretation, bringing together seafloor and land-based observatories in the European-Meditearranean area and its sea and ocean surroundings.